The Judicial Service of Ghana has refuted the assertion that the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo are deliberately delaying the suits filed against the Speaker of Parliament, , on the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act, commonly known as the anti-gay bill.
In response to a petition for the Supreme Court to expedite the hearing of the cases against the passage of the anti-gay bill, the Judicial Service indicated that the parties involved in the suit are those delaying the hearing.
It indicated that parties in the suits must file their statements before the court sits, which has not been done, onuaonline.com reports. "For the Supreme Court to hear any case, the parties are required to file their respective pleadings in the form of a statement of case within the timelines provided for by the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (CJ 16). "As the two communications issued earlier stated, Parliament and the parties have not complied with the requirements that allow a trial of the case raised by the Plaintiffs," the statement from the Judicial Service is quoted to have indicated.
The service went on to admonish all parties to file their pleadings for the hearing of the cases by the Supreme Court to commence. "Attach the urgency to this case as shown in the petition and file the necessary processes for the cases to be heard," it added.